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To ask if anyone has changed their body shape with pilates or yoga?

110 replies

gardenangels · 06/06/2016 23:47

Loosing weight and keen to find exercises that won't bulk me up

OP posts:
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whois · 07/06/2016 00:04

If you do them properly they are great for toning.

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19lottie82 · 07/06/2016 00:08

A mixture of cardio and resistance training will be most for losing weight (maybe throw in some yoga for toning) lifting weights will not "bulk you up" (a common misconception). Men bulk up due to the testosterone in their bodies, women don't (can't).

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Quodlibet · 07/06/2016 00:10

Dynamic Pilates is great for a quite hardcore workout that really improves core strength. It won't bulk you up.

But likewise you could probably do weightlifting/bodybuilding without bulking up! It's a bit of a myth that weight training adds bulk - weight trainers have to work really hard and very specifically to increase their size. The kind of workout you're likely to do to lose weight won't make you bigger - but it should give you more powerful effective muscles which in turn burn fat all day.

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fatmomma99 · 07/06/2016 00:12

If this helps, in my late teens/early 20s I maintained my body shape with cigarettes and not knowing how to cook.

In later life I changed it with vast quantities of alcohol. I don't think you'd want my body shape though (I certainly don't!)

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Birdsgottafly · 07/06/2016 00:13

I agree with the mix of cardio and high resistance/interval training.

I got into weights last year, I've only stopped because I'm ill.

As said, women don't bulk up and they don't get heavy whilst cutting calories, "because muscle weighs heavier than fat", as is often said.

Weight lifting makes you lean and changes your body shape.

Pilates and Yoga are good for a level of toning and stretching.

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Quodlibet · 07/06/2016 00:14
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branofthemist · 07/06/2016 07:07

I love Pilates. But can't say it's changed my body shape. In the last year I have taken up other sports that have made more of a difference. But still do Pilates because I enjoy it.

Unless you have high (for a woman) testosterone levels, you wouldn't bulk up doing weights. The women who compete as body builders, in the heavier classes are not like that naturally.

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Thefitfatty · 07/06/2016 07:22

Depends what you mean by change your body shape? You can't really change from a pear to an hourglass, you can just tone up the shape you have.

Weightlifting and cardio mix are the best bets.

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Patterkiller · 07/06/2016 07:37

The only thing it has done for me is fix my back problem, yay, and tone my arms. I may be toned all over, I certainly feel better but the layer of fat is still too much to tell.

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Runningupthathill82 · 07/06/2016 07:39

No, it's circuits/ HIIT/ bodyweight exercises and running that did it for me. Push ups, plank, that sort of thing.

In a purely unscientific survey too, a quick look at the body shapes of the people who go to the Pilates and yoga classes at my gym reveals that they are - generally - nowhere near as toned and lean as those who go to circuits/ 24/ HIIT/ Grid.

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Lighteningirll · 07/06/2016 07:42

Pilates/power yoga have an amazing effect on posture. Improved posture makes you look slimmer and younger. I taught classes for years and the change in people was amazing, often they don't see it because we all hold our tummy in and stand up straight when looking in a mirror. Pilates/yoga will make you look like your trying all the time as it becomes your natural posture. If you are already fit they are the icing on the cake, if you are losing weight they will make it look like you've lost even more.

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sparechange · 07/06/2016 07:47

You are very, very unlikely to bulk up from doing any exercise.
Women just don't have enough testosterone to get bulky

Weights, and particularly heavy weights have toned me and made me leaner.
I'd have to be spending several hours a day in the gym and eating a very specialised diet to end up looking like Chloe Madely

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KittyandTeal · 07/06/2016 07:48

Pilates and yoga have helped tone a bit but it's the running and kettle bells that have lost the weight and defined my muscles.

Yoga has helped me work harder in other areas because my muscles aren't as sore and are working well. Pilates I'm still working on, I enjoy it and I've noticed its added a bit of time to my stomach as its a bit more targeted than running. I am fairly slim (on my stomach anyway) so can notice fairly subtle differences.

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carabos · 07/06/2016 07:49

Agree with everyone else who recommends weights/ HIIT / cardio for a lean, toned look. Yoga and Pilates have their place, but you'd have to do hours and hours each week to make any impact on how you look. That's not to say you won't get benefits in flexibility and a degree of improvement in core strength. DH and I used to do Ashtanga, our teacher was the most amazingly flexible person I've ever come across, but I wouldn't describe her physique as aspirational iyswim Wink.

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OnlyThePurpleOnes · 07/06/2016 07:51

I've practiced yoga of various styles for 10 years, but I've only significantly changed my body shape in the last year when I started weight training and circuits (HIIT). Within three months id lost inches everywhere and am much slimmer and more toned than i was when I solely practiced yoga.

It is actually very difficult to 'bulk up' - people have to work very hard and eat a certain diet to gain muscle mass.

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carabos · 07/06/2016 07:52

What we don't get told about all these celebs who claim to have stunning bodies from a bit of Pilates, is that they eat clean and lift heavy weights. The Pilates is their stretch element at the end of what is probably a fairly intensive session with a personal trainer.

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Thefitfatty · 07/06/2016 08:32

The Pilates is their stretch element at the end of what is probably a fairly intensive session with a personal trainer.

And a very restricted and controlled diet.

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Tabsicle · 07/06/2016 08:51

I have changed shape dramatically through diet and exercise. I've never got bigger from exercise. My arms got dramatically smaller and more toned from weights and that's it.

Yoga is awesome, btw. Good for balance and general state of mind but it doesn't do an awful lot body shape wise in my experience.

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carabos · 07/06/2016 09:21

Quick pic - results of heavy lifting, cardio and HIIT. I'm 53 next week.

To ask if anyone has changed their body shape with pilates or yoga?
To ask if anyone has changed their body shape with pilates or yoga?
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KatieKaboom · 07/06/2016 12:16

Carabos. You are a boss.

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KatieKaboom · 07/06/2016 12:17

OP, a combination of weights and cardio really works. Yoga is great for a stretch when you get stiff from those two.

Not gonna post no selfies, though.

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tanukiton · 07/06/2016 12:20

Carabos looking good!!!

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carabos · 07/06/2016 12:32

Thank you katie and tanukiton. I'm passionate that other women, particularly younger women, understand that the celeb bodies they see everywhere are the product of hard work, no matter what they might claim. It takes sweat, tears, dedication and discipline to look like most Oscar winners do and it's not fair to pretend otherwise. A bit of Pilates here and there ain't gonna do it. However, you can get and stay in good shape while living a "normal" life, eating properly and exercising a bit harder than you might like Wink.

Exercise is great for mental well-being too. Get to it!

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dnwig · 07/06/2016 12:39

I have been doing Pilates for past 18 months and now have a toned abdomen for the first time ever! I can't do weights/ cardio any more due to health issue.

Did lose weight too, though (more than 15kg) with 5:2 diet.

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Lndnmummy · 07/06/2016 12:49

Carabos, I am in awe

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